Central Highlands Pickleball Club (CHP) Membership Policy
1. Purpose
Pickleball is a social and competitive sport that is inclusive in nature. This is central to the ethos of Central Highlands Pickleball Club Incorporated (CHP).
CHP aims to provide a fun, welcoming and inclusive environment that enriches our community and provides opportunities to enjoy the physical and social benefits of playing pickleball.
CHP is committed to:
Having FUN.
Making FRIENDS.
Being ACTIVE.
Enjoying social and competitive pickleball.
Providing opportunities for different levels of play.
Supporting the development of players throughout their pickleball journey.
This policy explains CHP's membership arrangements and the relationship between CHP membership and membership or registration with Pickleball Victoria (PV) and Pickleball Australia (PAA).
2. Relationship With the Rules of Association
This policy operates subject to the Central Highlands Pickleball Club Incorporated Rules of Association and applicable law.
Nothing in this policy is intended to limit, replace or override a right, obligation or procedure established by the Rules of Association or applicable law.
Where there is any inconsistency, the Rules of Association and applicable law prevail.
Membership applications, admission to membership, membership fees and membership rights remain subject to the Rules of Association and decisions properly made by the CHP Committee.
3. Membership Administration
CHP recognises that members may participate in pickleball through more than one club.
For administrative purposes, CHP may describe financial members as:
Primary Members – members who have CHP recorded as their nominated club through the applicable PV/PAA membership system.
Secondary Members – members of CHP who have another pickleball club recorded as their nominated or primary club through the applicable PV/PAA membership system.
The terms "Primary Member" and "Secondary Member" are administrative descriptions only. They do not create separate classes of membership under the CHP Rules of Association.
A person described as a Primary or Secondary Member must still be admitted to membership in accordance with the CHP Rules of Association.
Subject to any distinction expressly established by the Rules of Association, Primary and Secondary Members have the same membership rights.
Visiting Players and Other Visitors are not CHP members merely because they are permitted to participate in a CHP activity or are provided access to CourtFlow.
Nothing in this policy creates an additional class of associate membership.
4. Primary Membership
A Primary Member is ordinarily a person who:
Holds the required current Pickleball Victoria / Pickleball Australia registration;
Nominates CHP as their relevant club through the applicable PV/PAA membership system; and
Has paid any applicable CHP membership component through that process.
The current CHP annual club membership component is:
Adult: $25
Junior: $0
These amounts are subject to the membership fee-setting requirements of the CHP Rules of Association.
Where membership payments are collected through Pickleball Victoria, the applicable CHP component is remitted to the Club through the relevant membership arrangements.
5. Secondary Membership
A Secondary Member is ordinarily a player who holds a current PV/PAA registration but has another pickleball club recorded as their primary or nominated club.
A player who regularly participates in CHP activities may apply to become a Secondary Member of CHP.
The current CHP Secondary Membership fee is:
Adult: $25 per year
Junior: $0 per year
These amounts are subject to the membership fee-setting requirements of the CHP Rules of Association.
Secondary membership may be purchased and managed through CourtFlow or another method approved by CHP.
Once accepted as a member and the applicable membership fee has been paid, a Secondary Member is a financial member of CHP and has the same membership rights under the CHP Rules of Association as other members.
6. Membership and Playing Access
CHP membership provides access to Club activities and member benefits, subject to the requirements applicable to each activity.
Membership does not guarantee entry into every CHP session, competition, tournament or other activity.
Individual activities may have requirements relating to:
Skill level or grading.
DUPR rating.
Coach approval.
Age.
Player development pathways.
Competition eligibility.
Session capacity.
Court availability.
Booking deadlines.
Safety.
Team or event format.
Other reasonable operational requirements.
For example, CHP may operate separate beginner, intermediate, development and advanced sessions.
These requirements are playing or operational eligibility criteria and do not alter a person's status as a financial member of CHP.
7. Pickleball Victoria / Pickleball Australia Registration
Where required by CHP's affiliation, insurance or governing-body arrangements, members must maintain a current PV/PAA registration in addition to their CHP membership.
The member is responsible for:
Obtaining their PV/PAA registration.
Paying applicable PV/PAA registration or membership fees directly through the relevant system.
Providing CHP with their current National Member ID or other required registration number.
Ensuring their registration details remain accurate.
Renewing their PV/PAA registration when required.
Payment of a CHP membership fee does not, by itself, renew or purchase the member's PV/PAA registration.
8. Verification Through CourtFlow
CHP may use CourtFlow to record and manage membership information.
Members may be required to provide their current PV/PAA National Member ID or other recognised registration identifier through CourtFlow.
Where technically available and authorised by the relevant governing body or membership system, CourtFlow may electronically verify information such as:
National Member ID.
Registration status.
Registration expiry or valid-to date.
CHP's preferred approach is to automate this verification where possible rather than requiring volunteers to manually cross-check membership records.
Until automated verification is available, CHP may undertake reasonable manual verification where required.
Members remain responsible for ensuring their PV/PAA registration remains current.
9. Membership Period and Renewal
The applicable membership period may depend upon the way in which the membership is administered.
For Secondary Membership purchased directly through CourtFlow, the membership period will ordinarily run for 12 months from the date the membership commences, unless otherwise specified at the time of purchase.
CourtFlow may notify members when their CHP membership is approaching expiry and provide an opportunity to renew.
PV/PAA registration may operate on a different membership or renewal cycle.
Members are responsible for maintaining both requirements where applicable.
10. Moving Between Primary and Secondary Membership
A member may change their nominated or primary club within the applicable PV/PAA membership arrangements where permitted by those organisations.
Where a CHP Secondary Member subsequently nominates CHP as their primary club during a period for which they have already paid their CHP membership component, CHP will endeavour to ensure that the member is not unnecessarily charged the CHP club component twice for substantially the same membership period.
Similarly, where an existing CHP Primary Member transfers their nominated PV/PAA club to another club, CHP may recognise that person as a CHP Secondary Member for the remainder of their existing CHP membership period where appropriate.
Members should notify CHP where such a change occurs so that Club and CourtFlow records can be updated.
11. Visiting Players
CHP welcomes visiting pickleball players.
A Visiting Player is generally a person who:
Is not a financial member of CHP;
Holds a current registration with PV, PAA or another recognised pickleball association; and
Wishes to participate occasionally in an appropriate CHP session.
Visiting Players may be provided with CourtFlow access where required for bookings.
Visiting Players will ordinarily pay the applicable non-member session price.
A Visiting Player who participates in more than three CHP sessions within a 12-month period may be required to become a CHP member before making further regular session bookings.
The Committee may make reasonable exceptions where appropriate.
12. Interstate and Overseas Visitors
CHP welcomes travelling pickleball players and recognises the social nature of the sport.
Players visiting from interstate or overseas, and family members or friends visiting the region, may request permission to participate in an appropriate CHP session.
Participation may be approved on a case-by-case basis having regard to:
Playing experience.
Appropriate session level.
Session capacity.
Insurance requirements.
Safety.
Applicable venue requirements.
Visitors will ordinarily pay the applicable non-member session price.
CHP aims to provide a welcoming environment for travelling picklers while ensuring that participation is appropriate for the particular session.
13. Junior Membership
CHP supports opportunities for junior players to participate in pickleball.
The current CHP club membership component for Junior Members is $0.
Junior participation remains subject to:
CHP child safety requirements.
Applicable PV/PAA requirements.
Age requirements for particular sessions.
The CHP Young Athletes in Adult Sessions Policy.
Appropriate supervision and safeguarding arrangements.
A $0 CHP membership fee does not necessarily mean that other PV/PAA registration or event fees are $0.
14. Membership Fees
Membership fees and annual subscriptions will be established in accordance with the CHP Rules of Association, including any process determined by members at the Annual General Meeting as required by those Rules.
The CHP Committee will administer membership fees consistently with that process.
In considering or recommending future membership fees, the Committee may have regard to:
Club operating costs.
Venue and equipment costs.
Governing-body arrangements.
Insurance.
Member services.
CourtFlow and administration costs.
The financial position of the Club.
Current membership fees will be communicated through CHP's website, CourtFlow or other appropriate Club channels.
Nothing in this policy independently authorises the Committee to impose or alter an annual subscription contrary to the process required by the CHP Rules of Association.
15. Membership Applications
Applications for CHP membership must be dealt with in accordance with the CHP Rules of Association.
CourtFlow or another approved platform may be used to:
Receive membership applications.
Collect required applicant information.
Process applicable payments.
Record PV/PAA registration information.
Present applications to the Club for administration.
Submission of an application or payment through CourtFlow does not, by itself, constitute admission to membership where the Rules of Association require Committee acceptance.
Applications will be accepted or rejected in accordance with the Rules of Association, and accepted members will be recorded in CHP's membership records as required.
The Committee may establish reasonable administrative processes, including electronic workflows, to efficiently manage applications while complying with the Rules.
16. Member Responsibilities
CHP members are responsible for:
Keeping their contact and membership information reasonably current.
Maintaining any required PV/PAA registration.
Providing accurate membership information to CHP.
Paying applicable membership fees.
Complying with the CHP Rules of Association.
Complying with the CHP Code of Conduct and other applicable Club policies.
Following reasonable requirements applicable to particular CHP activities.
17. Membership Rights
Primary and Secondary Members admitted in accordance with the CHP Rules of Association are members of CHP.
Membership rights are determined by the Rules of Association and are not dependent upon whether CHP is recorded as the member's primary club within an external membership platform.
Restrictions applying to a particular session because of skill level, age, capacity, safety or another legitimate participation requirement do not, by themselves, change a person's membership status or general membership rights.
18. Cessation, Discipline and Membership Rights
Any suspension, disciplinary action, expulsion or other action affecting a person's membership rights will be dealt with in accordance with the CHP Rules of Association and applicable law.
Operational decisions concerning eligibility for a particular playing session are not, by themselves, disciplinary action.
Nothing in this policy creates an alternative disciplinary process to that established by the Rules of Association.
19. Policy Administration
The CHP Committee is responsible for the administration of this policy.
The Committee may use CourtFlow and other appropriate systems to:
Process membership applications.
Collect membership fees.
Maintain membership records.
Record PV/PAA membership identifiers.
Verify governing-body registration where technically available.
Manage renewals.
Apply member pricing.
Communicate with members.
This policy will be reviewed annually or earlier where membership arrangements, governing-body requirements or CHP operations materially change.
Central Highlands Pickleball Club Incorporated (CHP)
Effective Date: June 2026
Responsible Body: CHP Committee
Approved by: CHP Committee
Scheduled Review: June 2027